Tornadoes · United States · Indiana
Tornadoes in Lake County, Indiana
58 tornadoes have crossed Lake County since 1950, 9 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 1st of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 31. None was rated F4 or above.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
Now
- Tornadoes
- 58
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 31
- F4 and above
- 0
- Worst on record
- EF3, June 11, 2026
The strongest
- F3, Will, Lake and Newton counties, Illinois and IndianaApril 23, 1961
- EF3, Lake and LaPorte counties, IndianaJune 11, 2026
- F3, Lake County, IndianaJune 20, 1974
- F3, Lake County, IndianaNovember 12, 1965
- F3, Porter and Lake counties, IndianaOctober 24, 1967
- EF2, Will and Lake counties, Illinois and IndianaAugust 11, 2026
- F2, Lake and Porter counties, IndianaJuly 20, 1962
- F2, Lake County, IndianaJune 30, 1977
- EF2, Lake County, IndianaJune 11, 2026
- F2, Lake and Porter counties, IndianaMarch 12, 1976
Every year with a tornado
The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lake County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.
Every tornado that crossed Lake County
58 tornadoes, newest first. 12 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Indiana. The 9 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2026 | 10:28 PM CDT | EF0 | Kankakee to IN | 10.3 | 250 | |||
| June 11, 2026 | 7:11 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 6.0 | 150 | |||
| June 11, 2026 | 7:25 PM CDT | EF2 | Lake | 6.5 | 700 | 1 | ||
| June 11, 2026 | 7:32 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 4.1 | 150 | |||
| June 11, 2026 | 7:36 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 12.7 | 200 | |||
| June 11, 2026 | 7:48 PM CDT | EF3 | Lake | 22.5 | 450 | |||
| July 27, 2026 | 12:58 PM CDT | EF1 | Cook to IN | 3.7 | 225 | 2 | ||
| August 11, 2026 | 10:41 AM CDT | EF1 | Cook to IN | 22.5 | 300 | |||
| August 11, 2026 | 10:43 AM CDT | EF2 | Will to IN | 26.2 | 500 | |||
| March 19, 2025 | 5:50 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 1.8 | 50 | |||
| March 19, 2025 | 5:47 PM CDT | EF1 | Lake | 0.7 | 50 | 1 | ||
| March 19, 2025 | 5:46 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 0.4 | 50 | |||
| March 19, 2025 | 5:43 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 1.9 | 50 | |||
| March 15, 2025 | 1:19 AM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 4.9 | 200 | |||
| March 15, 2025 | 1:12 AM CDT | EF1 | Lake | 0.9 | 200 | |||
| July 15, 2024 | 10:02 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 16.4 | 100 | |||
| July 15, 2024 | 9:58 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 2.4 | 100 | |||
| July 15, 2024 | 9:52 PM CDT | EF1 | Lake to IN | 29.1 | 300 | |||
| February 27, 2024 | 9:15 PM CST | EF1 | Lake | 2.2 | 75 | |||
| March 31, 2023 | 8:53 PM CDT | EF1 | Lake | 3.2 | 325 | |||
| December 10, 2021 | 10:05 PM CST | EF0 | Lake | 4.8 | 100 | |||
| October 11, 2021 | 5:10 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake to IN | 1.6 | 70 | |||
| June 26, 2021 | 1:29 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 3.3 | 250 | |||
| May 27, 2019 | 4:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 1.1 | 100 | |||
| March 14, 2019 | 1:51 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake | 1.5 | 75 | |||
| June 30, 2014 | 10:46 PM CDT | EF1 | Lake | 2.1 | 185 | $25,000 | ||
| June 30, 2014 | 10:44 PM CDT | EF2 | Lake | 3.2 | 295 | $250,000 | ||
| June 30, 2014 | 10:42 PM CDT | EF1 | Lake | 2.2 | 315 | $28,000 | ||
| June 30, 2014 | 10:42 PM CDT | EF1 | Newton | 13.2 | 395 | $180,000 | ||
| June 30, 2014 | 10:39 PM CDT | EF1 | Lake | 3.2 | 370 | |||
| June 30, 2014 | 10:38 PM CDT | EF1 | Lake | 3.8 | 260 | $86,000 | ||
| June 30, 2014 | 10:37 PM CDT | EF1 | Lake to IN | 1.6 | 175 | |||
| June 30, 2014 | 10:33 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake to IN | 0.7 | 120 | |||
| June 30, 2014 | 10:33 PM CDT | EF1 | Lake to IN | 8.7 | 415 | $256,000 | ||
| June 30, 2014 | 10:29 PM CDT | EF1 | Kankakee to IN | 15.8 | 175 | |||
| August 4, 2008 | 8:27 PM CDT | EF2 | Lake | 2.7 | 30 | $1.0 million | ||
| May 30, 2003 | 9:13 PM CDT | F0 | Lake | 0.3 | 50 | |||
| August 25, 2001 | 5:31 PM CDT | F1 | Lake | 4.5 | 150 | 2 | $100,000 | |
| April 26, 1994 | 9:40 PM CDT | F1 | Lake to IN | 2.0 | 20 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| October 17, 1981 | 9:40 PM CDT | F1 | Lake | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 8, 1981 | 6:30 PM CDT | F1 | Lake | 20.9 | 20 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| June 30, 1977 | 3:55 PM CDT | F1 | Lake | 1.3 | 120 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| June 30, 1977 | 3:53 PM CDT | F2 | Lake | 6.8 | 300 | 1 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| June 29, 1976 | 6:43 PM CDT | F0 | Lake | 1.0 | 60 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| March 12, 1976 | 2:00 PM CST | F2 | Lake | 5.6 | 200 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| March 4, 1976 | 9:00 PM CST | F1 | Lake | 2.0 | 100 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 20, 1974 | 8:10 PM CDT | F3 | Lake | 4.5 | 150 | 5 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| October 24, 1967 | 4:53 PM GMT-5 | F3 | Porter | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| July 13, 1966 | 10:54 AM GMT-5 | F2 | Lake | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| November 12, 1965 | 4:53 PM GMT-6 | F3 | Lake | 4.1 | 40 | 14 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| July 20, 1962 | 4:00 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Lake | 14.9 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 22, 1961 | 7:00 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Lake | 0.1 | 10 | 1 | $500 to $5,000 | |
| April 23, 1961 | 3:45 PM GMT-6 | F3 | Will to IN | 51.7 | 10 | 4 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| June 16, 1960 | 4:03 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Lake | 1.0 | 100 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| July 12, 1957 | 9:00 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Lake | 0.1 | 27 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| March 14, 1957 | 6:30 PM GMT-6 | F1 | Lake | 9.8 | 30 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 1, 1954 | 3:00 AM GMT-5 | F2 | Lake | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| November 13, 1951 | 4:00 PM GMT-6 | F2 | Lake | 0.3 | 400 | $50,000 to $500,000 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Lake CountyThe forecast for Lake CountyThe live radar over Lake CountyEvery county in Indiana
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.